Shelter Bay car prowls investigated

It’s often said that crime doesn’t take a holiday.

That was certainly the case locally as Swinomish Tribal Police received reports of 10 vehicle prowls in Shelter Bay over the Labor Day weekend.

“From reviewing the reports,” Swinomish Police Chief Earl Cowan told the Weekly News Sept. 7, “it appears that every case involved a vehicle that had been left unlocked overnight.”

Cowan said Swinomish Police encourage everyone to lock their vehicles and remove any valuables for the night.

“Or at least,” added Cowan, “hide them out of sight so they are not attractive targets of opportunity.”

Cowan said anyone having information related to the recent spree of vehicle prowls in Shelter Bay – 18 reported since Aug. 10, he said – is urged to call 360-428-3211 and request to speak with a Swinomish officer.

There has been an uptick in vandalism, mailbox thefts, graffiti tagging and general property crimes in the Greater La Conner area since the COVID-19 pandemic started.

In addition to vehicle prowls, Shelter Bay residents reported over the holiday weekend an attempted break-in of a garage and discovery of a department store package that had been torn open and its contents removed.